Stamp Clubs

Local stamp clubs are the perfect venue for sharing
collecting experiences, on a personal level, with people that have
similar collecting interests.

There's nothing more fun than showing-off our newly
acquired philatelic treasures. Collecting is rewarding, in many ways,
but getting positive acknowledgment of our philatelic achievements from
others is infinitely more gratifying.

Just
about every metropolitan area should have a local club somewhere. Many specialty stamp societies have affiliated clubs or "study groups" that meet periodically in various metropolitan areas around the United States.

There
are also regional clubs and federated organizations of clubs, many of
which have local stamp shows. This enables interested members in
learning about how to write an exhibit and to compete against other
collectors in local philatelic exhibitions. Most national, state, and
regional philatelic exhibitions DO require previous local exhibition
credentials, as a prerequisite for the entry of exhibits in their
exhibitions.

There are also virtual, general,
and specialty-specific philatelic clubs on the internet, which enable
collectors to interact socially with each other over great distances. There are many philatelic blogs on the internet, as well, allowing collectors from all over the world to share their interests and to ask questions about their particular philatelic subjects.

The
link below will take you to a directory of all the local clubs in the
U.S. that are affiliated with the A.P.S. Of course, there are thousands
of other clubs that do not have A.P.S. affiliation. Search the
Internet for the ones closest to your town. Contacting your local / municipal Chamber of Commerce can also be helpful in finding local groups that share you collecting interests.

With the world at our fingertips, the probability of finding someone with your interest is very good. I just did a Google search
on this subject, and I got 379,000 page hits!